Demons
by AmasVeritus
Summary: AU The war between vampires and werewolves has been waging for over a century. But Caroline may have just discovered the key to ending the blood feud: a thousand year old vampire with a chip on his shoulder and a pair of lips to die for. Now she must risk everything in order to protect him and her fellow vampires, before the tides turn in favor of the enemy.
1. Chapter 1

**Overview: This is an AU Klaroline story loosely based off of the Underworld movie series. In this story vampires cannot walk around in the sun, there are no such things as daylight rings, and werewolves and vampires have been at war for a little over a century. Caroline is a Hunter (a werewolf hunter) who inadvertently rescues Klaus and in doing so uncovers secrets of both the vampires' and werewolves' history that will change their world forever.**

**Rating: M, for language, gore, and some adult content (but nothing too smutty)**

**Notes: I've always enjoyed the Underworld movies and I had been playing around with the idea of a TVD story that was based off them for a while now. Then I thought, eh fuck it, I'll just post it and see what you guys think. If you like this first chapter then I'll write more. The chapters following this probably won't be as long. I just couldn't find a good place to end it...**

**And now onto the beginning of a new story! My lovely readers, I give you _Demons_...**

* * *

"You sent for me, mother."

Elizabeth Forbes looked up from the paperwork that was strewn across her desk. She looked haggard and sleep-deprived. Caroline was taken aback by the sight.

"Caroline, please shut the doors," Liz waved her daughter in as she shuffled the papers around on her desk, apparently searching for something.

Caroline had never seen her mother like this…so frazzled. Yes, there was no other word for it, although the word did not seem to suit her normally stern and collected mother.

She swiftly shut the doors behind her and came back to stand before her mother's cluttered desk.

"What is it? Why did you call me off the raiding party?"

Liz ran a hand through her short blonde locks and sighed heavily. "I've just received some disturbing reports from Damon Salvatore."

The name made Caroline tense, but aside from that she kept her emotions in check and her features unreadable. Had she made any indication of her disdain, though, her mother would not have been surprised. It was well known that the two had ended their relationship on less than amicable terms. But Liz chose not to dabble in her daughter's love life, as long as it didn't interfere with work.

"The Lockwood Pack is on the move. They've been traveling along the mountains headed north, for the most part, but their movements are erratic. He's been searching for something…and he doesn't seem to mind wreaking havoc along the way."

Caroline nodded her understanding. "So you want me to track his pack down and put a stop to it."

Her mother shook her head. "No, it's much too dangerous to go after the pack when they're in full force. We'll wait until they get desperate enough to split up, cover more ground in their search. Then we'll strike."

Caroline's brow furrowed. She could tell her mother wasn't telling her everything she knew.

"What are they looking for?"

"It's more a question of _who_ they're looking for," said Liz.

She grabbed a particularly dense looking file off her desk and handed it to Caroline. Paper-clipped to the inside of the front cover was a standard 4"x4" photo of a young woman, roughly Caroline's age. She had olive skin and dark brown hair that fell past her shoulders in sleek sheets. She was very pretty, Caroline had to admit.

"Who is this?" Caroline looked up from the file inquisitively.

"She doesn't look familiar?"

Caroline shook her head.

"Her name is Elena Gilbert. She went to school with you when we first moved to Mystic Falls, although back then she would have been a few years younger than you."

Caroline's fingertips brushed over the photograph in a borderline reminiscent gesture. She tried to recall the faces of her stint in public school, but it had all been such a fleeting period of time in her long life as a vampire.

"She was the adopted daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Gilbert, until she and her uncle moved to Chicago when she was 15."

That caught Caroline's attention. She didn't know why she hadn't made the connection immediately.

"She's the one they say died in the car accident that killed her parents years ago," said Caroline. "The year that we moved here."

Liz nodded and continued. "Obviously, she is still very much alive and kicking. She was relocated for her safety and has been going by the name of Katherine Pierce for the last decade."

"What does the Pack want with _her_?"

"That's what I need you to find out…"

* * *

Katherine desperately hoped that her plan would work. After all, it wasn't just her life on the line this time around. This vampire was their best bet at defeating Tyler. So it was imperative that she successfully reawaken him.

She had to work fast though; Tyler's wolves were on the lookout for her. In fact, she was fairly certain they had already caught scent of her trail. She focused on keeping her hands steady as she went through the motions of each step her mother had outlined.

She swiftly set up the catheter, using her own blood for the source. If she'd done it right, the blood would transfer her memories to Klaus. It was her fail-safe, in case she didn't have time to explain everything to him.

Then she gently removed the dagger from his heart and waited.

Slowly, he began to liven. The color seeped back into his skin as the blood gradually flowed throughout his body. It was working!

"Elena!" The sound of her partner's urgent voice crackled over the com-system into her earpiece.

She stood still, frozen in fear. It was too soon. Her work wasn't finished yet.

"They're headed your way," the young girl whispered frantically, "You've got to get out of there now!"

"But he's not awake yet," Katherine protested.

"Leave him! _Run_!"

Katherine did the only thing she could think to do. She wrote a note and stuffed it into his cold, dead hand. Then she fled.

She ran as fast as her human legs could carry her and prayed that she'd had enough of a head start to outrun the werewolves at her back.

* * *

Caroline adjusted the specs on her night-vision binoculars. She watched from her perch atop the apartment building across the street as Tyler and his wolves entered Elena's—or Katherine's—complex.

She was too late.

On instinct, she began formulating a rescue mission. Her best bet was to wait until they were about to exit the building, then she could snipe the driver and pick off a few of them before anyone noticed what was going on. They would have to split up to pursue their attacker, leaving Elena less guarded. That's when she would swoop in and make her move.

So she waited, making sure to listen carefully to the movement and voices from within the getaway van.

After about twenty minutes she overheard a voice coming through the com-system in the car. "We've got the goods. We're coming back down."

_The goods?_ What goods did he mean? Something wasn't right…

She watched, poised to shoot, as the men came through the doors of the apartment building alone. Elena wasn't with them.

Then where was she? Nothing was adding up.

Swiftly, Caroline packed up her gear and headed back to her own car. She called her mother as she made her way down the stairs.

"Elena wasn't with them," said Caroline, "Or at least she didn't leave with them. She might still be in the apartment. I mean, maybe they left her for some reason. Maybe they took what they needed and killed her."

Liz's reply was well thought out, "No, they wouldn't just get rid of her like that. They've already gone through too much trouble to find her; I'm certain they need her for some greater purpose."

"So what do you want me to do? Follow them or look for Elena?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line.

"Follow them." She hung up.

Caroline carefully tracked them for four days of almost non-stop travel. They pretty much only stopped for gas, since they were able to take turns driving and sleeping in the passenger seats, which meant that Caroline had been subsisting on the naps she'd been able to steal here and there. If it wasn't for light-proof tinted windows, there was no way she would've been able to keep up with them during the daytime.

Even being a vampire though, with her increased stamina and healing abilities, four days with almost no sleep was starting to ware on her. She was relieved when they finally stopped in a city not even half a day's drive from Mystic Falls. She was curious, however, why they chose to stop there when they were already so close to home. It seemed too strange for there not to have been some pressing reason.

So she kept closer tabs on them this time around, following them like a shadow, or as best she could being confined to her sun-proof car. Throughout the course of the day, she realized that they were following someone themselves: a young man—mid-twenties, medium build, Caucasian with dark blonde hair.

She'd never seen him before and she couldn't imagine what Tyler Lockwood could possibly want with him.

Of course, there were only two ways to find out. She decided to go with the one that didn't involve a face-to-face confrontation with the wolf. That would've been too messy.

While the Pack was busy trailing the man, she broke into the apartment she'd seen him leave earlier that evening and tried to find some information within his belongings—not that he had all that much to go off of. The man was an absolute neat-freak.

There were no pictures, no books, hardly any personal items aside from the necessities. She vaguely wondered if she'd gotten the wrong apartment until she finally found a silver stake buried inside a duffel bag full of money hidden away beneath his bed. The stake at least confirmed he in fact knew of the existence of vampires, but other than that there was little evidence to gather from the contents of his duffel.

Caroline's investigation was cut short by the sound of someone at the door. They were placing the key into the lock and she was reaching for her gun. She pressed herself up against the wall, around the corner of the entryway, to give her a better vantage point.

When the person rounded the corner, she grabbed him by the shirt collar and shoved him up against the wall. Her arm crushed his windpipe and her gun came to rest against his left temple.

"Who are you?"

The man stared back at her, his eyes narrowed in anger as the veins beneath them began to pulse purple.

"What does the Pack want with you?"

No answer.

"Talk!"

The man winced. "Can't—"

Caroline understood and removed her arm from his neck, although she kept the gun pointed at him, cocked and loaded.

She was about to continue her interrogation of him when suddenly she heard urgent voices and hurried footsteps headed their way.

"Shit," she swore under her breath, "They've caught up with you already. Alright, there's no time for you to grab your things. We've got to go _now_. Is there a back way out of here?"

He nodded and then pointed to the window next to the bed. "The fire escape."

Caroline lowered her weapon and strode over to the window. She yanked it open and turned back to grab the man.

"Come on—" She stopped short at the sight of him fleeing out the front door, silver stake in hand. "You've got to be kidding me!"

In hind sight, she realized that pointing a gun at him probably wasn't the greatest way to introduce herself. It shouldn't have come as a surprise that he wasn't willing to follow her down a fire escape, or anywhere for that matter.

She ran after him, but wasn't able to catch up to him before he hopped in the elevator and the doors closed shut.

From the other end of the hall, about a dozen of Tyler's pack members were closing in on her. Thinking fast, she reached behind her and grabbed two wolfsbane grenades from her utility belt. Then she ripped the pins from them and threw them into the pack before running for the stairs.

The shrieks of burning werewolves assaulted her ears as she tore open the door to the stairwell and leapt over the railing, falling straight down eight floors and landing gracefully on two feet. Her knees absorbed most of the impact and she was up and running from her crouched position in seconds.

"Hey," she yelled as she peeled out of the stairwell and into the lobby, "Listen to me! I'm trying to help you!"

His vampire speed kicked in and he flashed out the front door. Caroline sped after him only to stop short when she saw him fall to his knees in front of Tyler from across the parking lot. He was clutching the side of his neck where Tyler had shot him with what she could only assume was a vervain dart.

Without a moment's hesitation, she aimed and fired four shots into Tyler. The silver bullets hardly seemed to faze him, but they slowed him down enough to give her time to get to her car. She screeched out of the parking space and floored it.

Tyler had been teeth deep in the man's neck as her car sped toward him. He dropped the man out of the way and ran headlong for the fast-approaching vehicle. Part of Caroline was worried that he wouldn't back down before they collided, but she quickly dismissed that thought, reminding herself that Tyler was the enemy. She needed to save that man he'd just been trying to drain and she'd do whatever it took.

She rolled down her window and kept her foot pressed firmly to the gas pedal as she readied her gun. She knew Tyler was just going to jump over her car, so she waited until they were seconds away from impact. Then just as they were about to collide, she leaned out the window and shot him square in the chest.

The bullet took him by surprise and then the car took his legs out from under him. His head careened forward and smacked the hood of the car with a sickening crunch.

Caroline slammed on the brakes and jumped out of the car. She quickly ran to the other side and put the drugged-up, bleeding man in her passenger seat. As she raced back around to the driver's side she checked to make sure Tyler was still unconscious beneath her front bumper.

He was still out cold, but there was no time to lose. The wolfsbane would have been wearing off soon and Caroline did not want to get stuck in a showdown with twelve very pissed off werewolves.

She took the car out of park and gunned it out of the parking lot. At first, she headed toward the freeway, but then thought better of it. It would be safer and more difficult to track if they took the back roads to Mystic Falls. There were countless backwoods mountain trails that crisscrossed each other in a maze of forestry, some of which would take them home. Luckily for them, Caroline knew this country like the back of her hand.

Of course, she hadn't really anticipated getting caught in a thunderstorm of biblical proportions.

* * *

Caroline glanced over at the man sitting next to her, the man she'd just saved. She yanked the collar of his shirt down in order to examine his wound more closely and had to hold back a cringe. It was much worse than she'd initially thought. Tyler had taken quite the chunk out of him.

"Who are you," she asked once more. "What does Tyler Lockwood want with you?"

"Who?" The man winced in pain as they went over a bump in the road, causing him to jolt back into his seat.

Caroline shot him an angry glare mingled with confusion. The man's evasion of her questions was irritating her, but he seemed to genuinely know nothing about his attacker, which was curious.

"Tyler Lockwood," she replied impatiently, "The leader of the Mystic Falls werewolf pack. How do you not know who he is?"

"Just—passing through," he ground out through clenched teeth.

"What do you mean," Caroline asked, shooting him another questioning glance, "Which coven are you with?"

He shook his head and looked back at her with heavily lidded eyes. "No coven…I…travel alone."

Caroline had never heard of a vampire traveling alone. It wasn't safe, with the century-old war going on, especially near Mystic Falls.

"No vampire travels alone," Caroline retorted, as though it was the most obvious statement of the century.

The man mumbled something, but she wasn't able to make it out over the sound of the torrential downpour they were currently speeding through. It also didn't help that his voice was weak with fatigue brought on by blood loss.

All she'd been able to make out was the word "original."

"Shit," she swore as she sped along the tree-lined gravel road, "We've got to get you back to the boarding house and soon."

No one had ever survived a bite from the opposite species before. She was certain he knew that, but she hated feeling helpless. There had to be something that she, or at least Dr. Fell, could do. There had to be _something_.

Suddenly the man started writhing in pain, crying out and clawing at the leather dashboard. His screams grew louder and more persistent with each passing second. And Caroline watched in horror as his bones began to shift beneath his skin.

"Pull the car over," he yelled angrily.

Caroline's gaze vacillated between him and the road, unsure of what she should do. "I can't pull over here; we're in the middle of the woods!"

The man continued to scream as his body began contorting into frightening positions. She could _hear_ the bones in his body breaking, apparently of their own accord.

"What's going on?" She began to panic. "What's happening to you?"

"Bloody hell, stop the goddamn car!"

Caroline did as he asked. As soon as the car came to a halt, the man tore open the door and ran out into the rain. If it weren't for her vampire agility and heightened senses she most certainly would have lost him in the storm. But she managed to quickly grab her supply bag and race off after him. He had collapsed some twenty yards into the forest and was lying there in the fetal position as the waves of pain wracked his shivering body.

Caroline knelt down and tried to assess the best way to go about helping him. They couldn't very well remain out there in the middle of a thunderstorm.

Trying desperately not to succumb to panic, she swiftly scanned their surroundings for any sign of shelter. Off in the distance she saw what looked like the outline of a building, but she couldn't be sure. She didn't want to drag him all the way over there only to find it had been a figment of her imagination. So she told him she would be right back and she flashed off in the direction of the building-shaped mass.

It turned out to be an abandoned barn, one that had been abandoned for quite some time. It wasn't much in the means of shelter but it was better than nothing.

Caroline sped back where the man lay writhing on the forest floor and gingerly helped him to his feet. She carried him to the barn on her back, thankful once again for her vampire abilities, and set him down on the ground in the least damaged area she could find.

After that she sat there and watched terrified as he continued to break every bone in his body. She didn't know how to help. But she figured the least she could do was stay with him until the pain subsided, just so he wasn't alone.

"You should leave," the man growled.

The guttural, angry sound of his voice took her by surprise, but she merely steeled herself and refused to go.

"I'm not going anywhere."

The man punched the ground hard. He had his forehead pressed to the floor and every ragged breath sent dirt flying from around his mouth in puffs. He was drenched both in rain water and sweat.

"It's not safe—" He flew back, abruptly experiencing another mind-numbing wave of pain, and landed on his back with his legs awkwardly bent beneath him. "_I'm_ not safe."

Caroline had never actually seen a werewolf turn before, but she could only assume that's what was happening to him. After all, Tyler had bitten him. She didn't understand how though. No one had ever survived a bite from the opposite species. That was common knowledge. Why was this man different?

"You're turning," she whispered somewhat in awe.

The man shut his eyes, as though hearing her validate the truth was too much for him to bear.

She could only imagine the pain he must have been feeling. Not only was he being forced to break every bone in his body, but he was also being turned into his mortal enemy. It must be excruciating, both emotionally and physically.

"Tie me up," the man cried out, "You need to tie me up."

Caroline nodded her understanding and began rummaging through her bag for any sort of restraints that would be strong enough to hold him down. She had some wire-enforced cabling and a pair of steal handcuffs. Using those, along with some old reins she found in the barn, she managed to tie him to a post pretty well. At the very least, the time it took for him to get out of her makeshift straight jacket would be enough for her to escape.

He winced as she tightened the ropes about him, which made her feel strangely guilty.

"Sorry," she mumbled, "I don't want you to wriggle loose."

"No, don't apologize."

Their eyes met and suddenly Caroline was acutely aware of their close proximity. She coughed nervously and wiped her hands off on her pants.

"That should do it," she said as she stood up from her crouched position.

"Thank you," the man wheezed right before his neck snapped forward painfully with a loud _crack_.

Caroline stood frozen in fear. When the man lifted his head back up the irises of his eyes had turned a bright amber color and his pupils had narrowed to canine-like slits. The sight startled her and sent a chill down her spine. If he was truly turning into a werewolf, one bite from him would be the end of her.

Soon after his eyes changed, the hair on his arms, legs, and chest began to grow longer. His ears became pointed and his fangs elongated. His hands and feet morphed into claws and his entire body grew in size; while in his normal state Caroline had pegged him at around 5'11", he was now closer to 6'4".

She had killed enough werewolves in her lifetime to know what a normal one looked like. And whatever he was turning into was most definitely _not_ a normal werewolf.

Finally the pain seemed to stop and the transformation appeared complete. The man heaved a heavy sigh and sagged down onto his knees. She was certain that had the cabling and reins not been holding him to the post, he would have collapsed to the ground, a languid heap of sinewy, hair-covered limbs.

He remained slouched there, unmoving except for the labored rise and fall of his chest. Caroline inched towards him carefully.

"Hey," she tentatively called out to him, "Are you alright?"

The man groaned.

That seemed like a good enough sign. Caroline closed the distance between them and gently took hold of his head, lifting it up from its slack position so that she could look him in the eyes.

She examined him closely, checking for any signs of hostility, but all she could see were signs of exhaustion. The transformation had drained the man of every ounce of energy it seemed.

"Do you want to tell me your name now," she asked softly.

The man stared back at her, too weak to care anymore about not trusting her.

"Klaus," he replied faintly.

Caroline repeated it, rolling the name off her tongue as she wracked her brain for any hint of familiarity. She could find none. She'd never heard the name Klaus before.

"Well, Klaus," she said with a smile, "It's nice to meet you. I'm Caroline. It looks like we're stuck here for the night, so we may as well get comfortable."

She began to untie him from the post, despite his protests.

"Hush," said Caroline, "I know you won't hurt me."

He gave her a questioning look, to which she shrugged.

"I just know." She smiled. "Besides, as it is, you're currently too weak to even hold yourself up, let alone take on a fully-trained Hunter like me. And it looks like you've still got your wits about you, which is more than the average werewolf can say."

"How are you so calm about all this?" The man looked at her with both curiosity and awe.

Caroline shrugged. "When you grow up in the world I come from, not much fazes you. Or at least, you get over it really quick."

Klaus eyed her warily as he leaned back against the post. She sat a few feet in front of him, digging around in her backpack full of supplies.

"And what world is that exactly?"

Caroline's head snapped back up to gawk at him, a granola bar dangling haphazardly from her mouth.

"The world of Hunters and Slayers," she replied as though the answer had been quite obvious, "Where have you been for the past century and a half? Don't you know there's a war going on?"

Klaus looked off into the distance, perhaps recalling some long ago time. "It seems many things have changed since I last walked amongst the living…"

Caroline's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

Klaus turned back to her and sighed. "Well, since you've now saved my life twice, and seeing as how I don't particularly have any choice in the matter, I suppose I'll just have to trust you.

"My name is Klaus Mikaelson and I am one of the Originals."

Caroline bit down on her tongue in the midst of chewing her granola bar.

"As in," she swallowed slowly, "the Original _vampires_?"

Klaus nodded. "I've been…asleep for over a hundred years."

Caroline stared at him disbelievingly. "I don't—how—hold on a second. That's impossible. All the Originals are dead. That's what everyone says."

"Well, everyone is wrong…" His breathing was steadily becoming more shallow and he looked as though he might pass out.

"You need to feed," said Caroline, after assessing his symptoms.

Klaus smirked. "Was that an offer?"

Caroline was momentarily at a loss for words. She took a minute to reevaluate her companion, unsure of how to respond.

"Relax," said Klaus, shaking his head amusedly, "It was only a joke."

Caroline rolled her eyes and reached inside her backpack for a blood bag. She tossed the pouch to Klaus, who then promptly tore off the top and sucked it dry.

"Easy there tiger," said Caroline, "You don't want to get heartburn."

That got a smile from him. "Now look who's joking. Have you got any more of these?"

"Maybe if you ask _nicely_."

"_Please_, may I have another one?" Now it was his turn to roll his eyes.

Caroline obliged by handing him a bag of O negative with a smug little smile.

"Why aren't you afraid of me," Klaus asked, his expression suddenly growing more serious.

Caroline had asked herself that very same question numerous times over the course the night. And for the same reason she wasn't scared, she gave him a genuine answer,

"I don't know…I just feel like I can trust you."

She noticed that he looked marginally better after drinking the two bags of blood. His skin looked less pallid and his breathing was less labored, although he was still leaning heavily against the barn post and seemed as though he was fighting to stay awake.

"Look," said Caroline, "You should get some rest. I'll take first watch."

The man shook his head. "I can tell you're exhausted and you've already saved my life twice now. I owe it to you to take first watch."

Caroline crossed her arms and gave him a stern look. "You can barely hold your eyelids open! I'm not letting you take first watch only to fall asleep ten minutes in and get us killed."

"I thought you just said you trusted me."

"Yeah," Caroline scoffed, "To not attack me, not to stay awake all through the night."

"OK I think we got enough of a head start on them; I'm sure we can both afford to shut our eyes for at least a couple of hours. They won't be able to find us in this downpour."

Caroline considered his argument carefully before finally giving in. She laid down on the floor, using her bag as a pillow, and curled up in a ball. It felt like it had been ages since the last time she slept. Even vampires needed their beauty sleep.

Within minutes she was out. The last thing she remembered was Klaus watching her intently from his post. A part of her knew, in the back of her mind, that it wasn't very smart to fall asleep in the company of a vampire-werewolf hybrid stranger who could probably rip her heart out faster than she could say his name. But there was something about the way he looked at her that made her believe she was safe.

When she woke up Klaus was back to his normal appearance, kneeling over her and shaking her gently.

"Come on love, we've got to get going. I'm afraid we've already lingered here too long…"

Caroline sat up swiftly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and nodding. "You're right. OK, let's go."

The two gathered up their things and made their way back to the car. A tree branch had fallen on the hood sometime during the storm, but it hadn't done any real damage aside from a few scratches.

"So where to now," asked Klaus, after they'd buckled in and started the engine.

Caroline stared ahead down the wooded road, her face set with determination.

"Now, we take you to meet my mother."

* * *

Tyler stormed into the mansion, his werewolves trailing in after him with their tails between their legs. They were the very picture of shame and defeat—the two things he despised most in the world.

They'd lost Caroline's trail in that goddamn thunderstorm and had no choice but to return to the mansion. He couldn't understand how that little blonde blood slut had managed to outsmart them yet again. _Caroline_…just the sound of her name was like nails on a chalkboard and a dagger to his heart all at the same time. She was his darkest secret and his worst enemy—a perpetual thorn in his side.

Thanks to her, he would now have to come up with a new plan. He supposed having just one Original would have to do.

Ignoring everyone he passed by, he strode through the marbled hallways until he came to the library. From the shelf facing the windows that overlooked the backyard he pulled a copy of Bram Stoker's _Dracula_, revealing a hidden passageway. He didn't bother using a flashlight as he entered the darkened stairwell; his werewolf eyes allowed him to see perfectly well in the dark.

The passage led to an underground chamber lit by fluorescent lights. The small, dank room was littered with beakers full of ominous looking dark liquids, machines to process bacteria, microscopes, and all manner of chemicals.

Tyler hated it down there. It smelled like death and cleaning supplies.

"Shane," he called out, trying not to inhale any more of the fumes than he needed to.

The slim man in his mid-thirties with a bushy head of black hair came out from around the corner. He was wearing safety goggles, a white lab coat, and blue latex gloves.

"Did you find him," Shane asked excitedly as he weaved his way through the maze of delicate scientific instruments, "Did you manage to bring back Klaus?"

"No, but I did manage to bring back some of his blood." Tyler gave his companion a once over and asked somewhat nervously, "Should I be wearing protective gear or something while I'm in here? I'm not going to get infected with something am I?"

The other man laughed and began removing his goggles and gloves. "No, no you're completely safe. I just forget to take that stuff off sometimes. So you bit him then? You actually bit Klaus?"

"Yeah," said Tyler, reaching into his pocket and retrieving the vial of blood he'd managed to save, "Here, take a look."

Shane accepted the vial with a gleeful look in his eyes. He deftly set up a microscope slide and began examining the sample.

He spoke aloud while he worked, "I wanted to examine Klaus to make sure that the girl wasn't just some fluke, but this will do just fine."

He gazed into the microscope silently for a moment before turning to look at Tyler in awe. "We've done it my friend. By now Klaus will have already turned and become a full-fledged hybrid. My hypothesis was correct!"

"Congratulations," Tyler spoke without quite so much enthusiasm, "But what does that mean for me? I need to know how _I_ can become a hybrid too."

"You brought the Gilbert girl's blood as well?"

Tyler nodded and handed another vial of blood to the scientist.

"Let me run some tests and—"

"Screw your tests, Shane," Tyler shouted suddenly, "I've waited long enough for this. Test it on one of my wolves and we'll just see what happens."

Shane blinked a few times, startled by Tyler's outburst. "Alright then, we'll go straight to live subject tests. It's your call."

"Good."

"We'll need the girl—"

"I'll get the girl to cooperate." Tyler headed for the stairwell and called back over his shoulder, "Have everything ready by tonight."

* * *

"You're telling me that man sitting out there in our living room is one of the Original vampires?"

Caroline's mother stared at her skeptically from across her desk.

"Yes," Caroline replied calmly.

"And he's been bitten by the Lockwood boy?"

She nodded curtly.

"And you trust him?"

Caroline paused at that, but when she replied it was with the utmost certainty. "I do."

"Well I suppose now we know what the Pack has been after, although I don't understand what Elena Gilbert has to do with any of this…"

"Neither do I," said Caroline, "But I have a feeling she's the key to how Klaus was able to survive the werewolf bite."

Liz was silent for a moment. "So you two are on a first name basis, huh?"

Caroline's brow furrowed at her mother's rather odd comment. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," said Liz as she shook her head and stood up from her seat, "I just don't want to see you get hurt."

She'd walked around her desk so that she was now standing toe-to-toe with her daughter, stroking her hair and gazing worriedly into her bright blue eyes.

Caroline stared back at her, both intrigued by this rare display of affection and unsettled by her mother's abnormal behavior.

"Well you probably shouldn't have chosen this lifestyle for us then…"

Her mother frowned. "You think I _chose_ this life?"

Caroline wasn't sure how to respond to that, but she was spared from having to when a knock on the door interrupted their conversation.

One of the guards popped his head in and informed the two women that the Salvatore brothers had returned.

"Send them in," said Liz.

Caroline took that as her opportunity to make her escape. "I should show Klaus to his room."

Liz nodded vaguely and made her way back to her desk just as the two brothers entered the room. They each greeted Caroline in passing—Stephan warmly and Damon less so.

Klaus was standing in front of the fireplace staring intently into the flames. Caroline watched him from across the room, leaning against the archway at the top of the steps with her arms folded. For some reason she didn't want to disturb him.

"Your mother seems nice," Klaus called from the fireplace without turning his back.

Caroline scoffed. "You don't have to start lying to me now. We were doing so well."

He turned to look at her as she came down the steps and poured each of them a glass of bourbon.

"She is rather…intimidating, isn't she?"

She looked up from the glasses and cocked her head to the side. "You think?"

He smirked in return. "You know, she actually reminds me of someone I once knew a very long time ago."

"Oh yeah?" Caroline took a sip of her drink and handed the other to Klaus. "Who?"

She sunk down into the antique loveseat and propped her feet up on the coffee table. Klaus sat down across from her in one of the armchairs, staring into his drink as he swirled its amber contents around pensively.

"_My_ mother," he finally replied after a beat.

That gave Caroline reason to pause. She surveyed him carefully, attempting to gauge how much he would trust her with personal family information.

"What happened to your mother," she asked quietly, deciding to risk it.

Klaus looked up at her and Caroline was startled by the emotion she saw there: remorse.

"She died."

"Klaus," she said, leaning forward a bit, "I'm so sorry…"

He shook his head. "Don't be. It wasn't your fault and it happened a long time ago."

"Hey, well you're welcome to share mine if you'd like." Caroline offered him a small smile and a shrug.

Klaus chuckled. "Thanks, love. That might be the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."

Caroline laughed as she stood up, finishing off her drink. "If that's the truth then I really am sorry for you."

Klaus downed the rest of his bourbon with a smile and followed her down the hallway. She led him up the grand staircase and down another hallway, equally as grandiose as the first one.

"What is this place," Klaus asked, his eyes roaming the vintage décor and outdated oil paintings with curiosity.

"It's the old Salvatore boarding house," Caroline answered over her shoulder, "It belongs to a couple members of our coven and we sort of use it as our home base. You'll meet the owners along with the rest of the coven later tonight, but for now you can freshen up and get some rest. You'll be staying here."

She opened the door to one of the many guestrooms and gestured for him to go inside.

He entered the room, slowly looking around and taking in his surroundings. It had been so long since he'd last been awake, and since waking he'd been on the run, staying in cheap motels and abandoned buildings. The antiquity of the boarding house was a welcomed familiarity.

"You'll find fresh clothes in the dresser and toiletries in the bathroom," said Caroline.

He turned to Caroline questioningly. "Will you be staying nearby?"

She smiled and nodded. "I'm just a few doors down. I'll come by when it's time for dinner."

Klaus nodded and with that she left. There were so many other questions she wanted to ask him, but she could sense that now was not the time. There would be other opportunities for that. So she retreated to her own room for a much needed shower and nap.

* * *

When Caroline and Klaus entered the dining room most of the coven was already there, mingling over drinks. But everyone fell silent when the two walked in.

Caroline inwardly groaned, but plastered a smile on as Damon Salvatore approached them. She shared a pointed look with his brother Stefan, but informed him that she had things under control with a barely noticeable shake of her head.

"Damon," Caroline greeted her former beau, "I'd like you to meet Klaus Mikaelson."

Klaus stepped forward to shake the other man's hand.

"Klaus, this is Damon Salvatore."

The two men stared each other down while Caroline stood between them, awkwardly glancing back and forth from one to the other. She knew that Damon was really the only one she had to worry about as far as acclimating Klaus went. Once Damon was on board, everyone else would be as well.

After what seemed like an eternity, Damon finally held out his hand. Klaus shook it stiffly, still unsure of the other man's intentions.

"Just so you know," said Damon as he tugged Klaus a few inches closer and glared menacingly, "I can tell you know more than you're letting on. But Blondie here is probably the best judge of character I know, so I'm going to trust you…for now."

Klaus flashed him that familiar smirk Caroline was beginning to get used to. "Thanks mate, I appreciate it."

Caroline failed to miss the hint of sarcasm in Klaus's voice. She hoped desperately that Damon would either not notice it or simply ignore it. The last thing they needed right now was a fist fight at the dinner table.

When they released hands Caroline let out a breath of relief. She then proceeded to introduce Klaus to the rest of the coven: Bonnie, Stefan, Matt, Jeremy, April, Jenna and Alaric.

Aside from the little showdown with Damon, dinner went smoothly. They ate and then gathered in the drawing room to discuss the last couple of days' events.

The coven was like a democracy. Although Caroline's mother was technically in charge, she never did anything without consulting everyone else first. There were no secrets amongst the family they had become.

So it was necessary for Caroline to fill everyone in on the discoveries she made whilst tracking the Pack. She told them about Elena's apartment, Tyler's strange behavior, following their trail to Klaus, saving Klaus, and then witnessing him turn into a werewolf-vampire hybrid.

As Caroline recounted the transformation she could tell her friends were growing nervous. Their eyes shifted toward Klaus, filled with uncertainty and distrust…and fear. They were afraid of him because he was the unknown. He was an abomination that wasn't even supposed to exist. She couldn't blame them for acting the way that they were.

After the coven was adequately informed, Liz dismissed everyone, stating that they would hold a meeting the following morning to further discuss their next point of action. As it was, the Pack always seemed to be a step ahead of them. And that needed to change.

Klaus followed Caroline upstairs to the wing where their rooms were. When they arrived at his door they paused awkwardly, both unsure of how to part ways.

Caroline wound up blurting out the first thing that came to mind, just to fill the uncomfortable silence that had stretched on between them,

"Well, I guess we'd both better get some rest. I have a feeling this meeting tomorrow is going to be a long one…"

Klaus was staring at her—not in a creepy way, but almost as though he was trying to better understand her, like he was trying to read her.

"Yes, you're probably right," he said after a moment.

Caroline nodded and took one hesitant step back. "Alright, goodnight then."

Klaus smirked. "Goodnight, love."

She turned on her heel with every intention of walking to her room, but instead she turned right back around.

"You know I think we should—"

"Would you like to come inside?"

The two spoke at the same time. Caroline blushed, much to her dismay. Klaus smiled devilishly and averted his gaze to the floor.

"Um...sure," she said quietly.

Klaus looked up, still smiling, in fact even more if Caroline wasn't mistaken.

"Good," he said, "I could use the company."

She followed him inside the bedroom, meanwhile thinking to herself how strangely attracted she was to this man. He held some sort of sway over her, though she couldn't understand why.

She knew that it was dangerous to get involved with someone she hardly knew, but she followed him into the room anyway. The only way to get to know him better was to talk to him. So that's what she planned to do. At least, that was how she chose to justify her behavior.

Klaus shut the door behind them and Caroline took a seat at the foot of the bed.

"I'm glad you invited me inside," she began, "I think we both have a lot of questions for each other that need to be answered…"

Klaus spread his arms in a welcoming gesture. "Well, for you darling I'm an open book. What do you want to know?"

Caroline gazed up at him and asked, "What have you been doing up until now? I mean, what brought you to Mystic Falls?"

"That's a rather long story…"

"We're vampires—long stories kind of come with the territory."

Klaus cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes, as though he was evaluating her. "Perhaps for me, but not for you… You can't be more than 20 or 30 years old."

Caroline stiffened. "You can tell how long I've been a vampire?"

"I'm over a thousand years old, love. I can tell a lot of things."

"So tell me about how you wound up in Mystic Falls. And don't even think about trying to deny that that's where you were really headed when we crossed paths in Fairmont," Caroline quickly regained her composure and put on her stern face, "This town is home to the only vampire coven in Virginia and it's got history. In other words, this is someplace a newly re-awoken vampire lord would definitely have on his 'Top 10 Places to Visit' list."

Klaus chuckled when Caroline motioned air quotations around the last part of her sentence.

"You're right," he admitted candidly, "I was making my way to Mystic Falls when the Lockwood Pack caught up with me. I was following a lead…"

"Towards what end?" Caroline pressed him.

"I've been trying to find my family."

Klaus ran a hand through his cropped locks exasperatedly. It seemed merely talking about his failed attempts at being reunited with his family was frustrating. The gesture struck Caroline as uncharacteristic, even though she didn't really know what would be considered in character for him.

"_Trying_ being the operative word," he grumbled.

"Hold on a second," Caroline stopped him, "Maybe I didn't choose the right question to start off with. You mentioned that you've been asleep for a long time and just recently woke up... What _happened_ to you?"

Klaus smirked. "I told you this was going to be a long story. Alright, let me begin by telling you that the history of Mystic Falls goes much further back in time than anyone today now knows. Mystic Falls was once my home, before I became a vampire.

"My family and I lived here for many years in peace and happiness, until settlers from the Old World came and brought with them a plague. The sickness they carried across the sea wiped out our entire village. Everyone fell prey to it, except for my family. For some unknown reason we were immune to it. Thinking back now, I realize that my siblings and I never got sick as children, not even with common illnesses that went away in a few days. We were always perfectly healthy. It just took a plague for us to connect the dots.

"Call it evolution or whatever you'd like—our family had somehow developed immunity against all forms of sickness. But we later discovered our genetic mutation had other…darker side effects as well. My brother Finn was bitten by a wolf and he became the first werewolf. The night he turned he killed our youngest brother, Henrik. Unable to bear the guilt, he fled and we haven't seen him since. Then, a couple years later my sister Rebecca was bitten by a bat. She became the first vampire. Afraid of losing another of her children to a monster, my mother had each of us bitten. So we all became monsters. Later on, after we'd gone centuries killing as we pleased and leaving nothing but death and destruction in our wake, my father decided we had gone too far—lost too much of our humanity. He tracked us down one by one and desiccated us with silver stakes. See, we can't be killed by a stake to the heart, but a _silver_ stake will keep us incapacitated if left in."

Caroline nodded to show that she was keeping up with his story. Klaus had, at some point, started pacing the room as the words flowed from him and painted the detailed picture of his dark past.

He continued, "My father kept each of us hidden in coffins scattered across the world. I was holed up in a crypt in Chicago until about a month ago when someone came and set me loose. I don't even know who it was. I just woke up one day—the stake was missing and the door to the crypt left open. A note had been tucked into my hand, presumably by my rescuer, explaining that it wasn't safe for him or her to stay in the area for too long and that I must travel to Mystic Falls. I was told that the right people would find me once I'd arrived. Regardless though, my plan is to find my siblings and release them. Then, together we will track down our father and end this family feud once and for all."

He stopped pacing and stood still in front of the window, staring out into the night with a wayward look in his eyes.

Caroline observed him silently for a moment, letting the gravity of everything he'd just told her really sink in. It was a lot to process.

After thinking things through for some time, she finally spoke, "I think Tyler might have known about your true identity."

Klaus turned around to face her, his gaze wary. "How?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly, "But it would explain why he worked so hard to track you down and bite you."

Klaus nodded slowly, following her train of thought.

Caroline continued, "I doubt he knew for certain what biting you would do, but I bet he was hoping it would turn you into a hybrid. The only thing is…I've no idea how you didn't die. No one has ever survived a bite from both species before. That's like Vampirism 101."

He chuckled at that as he came to sit down next to her on the edge of the bed. "I think it has to do with the fact that I'm an Original. Our blood is special…it adapts to any sort of virus it comes into contact with."

"Yeah that makes sense. But why did Tyler want to turn you into a hybrid in the first place? I mean, it doesn't really seem like there's any benefit for him."

Klaus shrugged. "My best guess is that he wants to somehow turn himself into a hybrid."

"Do you think it works the same way as becoming a vampire?"

"Possibly…but I'm not sure. I am somewhat new at this whole hybrid thing."

Klaus turned to look at Caroline, offering her a small smile. There was something sad about that smile though—something that called out to her, pulling on her heartstrings and reminding her of a feeling she was all too familiar with.

Seeing that smile, she came to a decision.

"I'm going to help you find your siblings," she stated abruptly, "I promise."

Klaus's gaze was unreadable and for a moment Caroline feared she'd said the wrong thing—offended him somehow—until he spoke, his words barely above a whisper,

"Thank you."

Caroline left for her own room shortly after. She went to sleep thinking of a certain hybrid and his telltale smirk.

* * *

Tyler stormed into the dungeons that lay hidden beneath his property, once used to house unruly slaves and his ancestors on the night of a full moon.

Chained against the wall of one of the cells with her arms dangling above her head, a young blonde woman glared at him. Dried blood matted her hair to the left side of her face and the skin around her right eye was the sickly, yellow hue of an old bruise. Her bottom lip was torn, as well as most of her clothes. And she looked like she hadn't seen light in weeks.

"I didn't expect you to come back empty-handed," she spoke venomously.

"Plans have changed," he replied as he knelt down and grabbed ahold of her chin, "I'm going to need you to make a phone call."

Caroline awoke to the sound of an incessant buzzing noise. She lifted her head up off her pillow and glanced at her nightstand. Her phone was going off.

Who the hell would be calling her at this hour?

Groggily, she picked it up and stared at the blindingly bright screen. It was an unknown number. That was odd.

She answered it, afraid that it might be some kind of coven emergency. "Hello?"

"Hello Caroline." Tyler's smooth tenor voice had her frozen in place. "It's so good to hear your voice again. We didn't really get a chance to catch up the last time we saw each other."

"How did you get this number?"

"Don't be so naïve Care," he laughed, "Let's move on to the more important questions at hand shall we. I'll go first. Where is my hybrid?"

"He's somewhere safe, where you can't get to him," said Caroline.

"Well that wasn't exactly an answer, but thanks for letting me know that he's with you and your little coven, holed up in the Salvatore boarding house."

Caroline was seething. Tyler somehow always managed to send her over the edge. "What do you want with him?"

"I'd like you to put him on the phone. I have someone here who I'm sure he'll be very interested in talking to."

Reluctantly, Caroline climbed out of bed and slipped over to Klaus's room. A disheveled and disoriented Klaus opened the door. He was surprised to see her.

"Caroline," he asked, obviously confused as to why she was paying him a late night visit. "Is something the matter?"

She silenced him with a finger to his lips and gently closed the door behind them. They sat down on his bed and Caroline handed him the phone.

"It's for you," she pointed to her Bluetooth earpiece, "Don't worry; I'll be listening in."

Klaus hesitantly lifted the phone to his ear, his wary gaze locked with Caroline's.

"Hello," he spoke quietly into the receiver, "Who is this?"

There was a small sob on the other end of the line. Then a young woman's voice came through, "Nik? Is that really you?"

Klaus's eyes went wide and for a moment he was at a loss for words.

"Rebekah?"

* * *

**So? What did you think? I'm dying to know. Was it too hard to follow? I know it may seem full of plot holes right now, but that's just because I purposely wrote the story to gradually unfold and make more sense the further along you read. Most questions that this first chapter posed will be answered in the next chapter, or some later ones. But first things first I need reviews! Let me know if I should even bother continuing with this story!**

**Also if anyone is interested in beta reading this story for me it would be much appreciated!**

**xx**

**AmasVeritas**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here it is my lovely readers, Chapter 2! I would like to thank those who were kind enough to review the first chapter. I think I managed to respond to all of you :) And to all those who added this story to their alerts and favorites. You guys are awesome and it's nice to know that this story has been well-received thus far. This chapter is a bit shorter than the previous one, as I mentioned it would be, but hopefully the quality of my writing will not have suffered for it.**

**Read and enjoy...**

* * *

Rebekah couldn't believe her ears. Although she hadn't heard her brother's voice in over a century, the familiar sound of it was unmistakable. Her eyes grew watery and her voice wavered as she spoke,

"Nik, I can't believe it's really you. I've missed—"

Tyler abruptly yanked the phone away from her and placed it back against his own ear.

"Yeah, this is really touching and all, but I need one of you to turn me into a hybrid and since neither of you is willing to cooperate without a little persuasion _this_ is what I've decided to do," he spoke with a voice that broached no room for discussion, "Klaus you have 48 hours to meet me at the abandoned Bennett farmhouse and turn me into a hybrid. Come alone and unarmed or your sister dies. Are we clear?"

Tyler smiled smugly. He could practically hear the other man's fury over the phone line.

"Crystal," Klaus replied curtly.

"Perfect," said Tyler, "48 hours."

He hung up without another word and slipped the phone back into his pocket.

Rebekah glared at him with teary eyes. "My brother won't be fooled so easily. He'll find a way to outsmart you and rescue me."

Tyler shrugged. "I wouldn't be so sure. The man's been asleep for a hundred years. He's a little rusty."

Rebekah merely continued to stare daggers at him.

"Your brother _will_ come for you," Tyler spoke calmly as he leaned in closer to her, "And when he does, I'll have my pack waiting to ambush him. So you'd better just save the theatrics and give in already—"

He froze as Rebekah spit in his face and angrily stated that she would never agree to help him. Then he grabbed her roughly by the throat and forced her to turn away from him so that he could whisper right into her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

"Let me make this easier for you to understand…help me make my hybrid army now and I'll spare your brother. Refuse and I'll force you to watch while I rip his heart out with my bare hands."

He released her roughly, shoving her away as though she disgusted him. Then he stood up, straightened his clothes, and wiped the saliva from his cheeks.

"You can sleep on it," said Tyler as he stalked out of the dungeon.

Rebekah watched him leave as she curled up in a ball and wept silently.

* * *

The line went dead.

It took every ounce of Klaus's self-control not to throw the offending electronic device clear across the room. He did, however, end up crushing it with his bare hand.

He glanced at Caroline apologetically, "I'm sorry…"

She shook her head and rubbed his back. "It's just a cellphone. I can replace it. And don't worry, we'll figure this out. We'll find a way to save your sister."

Klaus stood up and began to angrily pace the floor. He ran a hand through his hair and groaned loudly.

"For fuck's sake! This is bollocks," he swore, "I don't even fully understand what's going on. I wake up in a strange new world and then get attacked by some psychopathic werewolf who turns me into a bloody hybrid and threatens to kill my only sister. Next thing I know I'm being adopted by some weird little vampire cult—"

"Hey," Caroline interjected, somewhat offended.

"—and on top of it all I keep getting these strange dreams! Every time I close my eyes I see that brunette girl and it's like she's trying to tell me something, but I can never figure out what it is."

Caroline stood and held up a hand, "Hold on, what are you talking about?"

Klaus sighed exasperatedly. "I keep getting these visions at night. There's this young woman and all these different scenarios that I think are connected somehow, although they don't make any sense to me."

Caroline's brow furrowed in thought. "Like what kind of scenarios?"

"There's one where she's running through a graveyard," Klaus spoke as he closed his eyes, digging for the memories, "Another where she's just a girl, playing in a field with some dark haired young woman. In one of the dreams I saw two of her; they were exactly identical except for their hair. I don't know…it's all just rubbish."

"No," Caroline murmured, "I don't think it is, but I haven't got a clue what any of it means…"

Klaus stood in front of the fireplace, staring into the flames with this intense, brooding look.

After a moment of thought, Caroline walked over to him and asked, "Can you remember any more details about the brunette girl? Like what she looked like?"

"Yes, she had big, brown eyes and a narrow chin. Her nose was slender and her skin was olive-toned," he answered as he turned to face Caroline, "It's like her face is burned into my mind."

Caroline's eyes widened as a thought hit her. Her mother had always told her there was no such thing as coincidence, but could it really be true?

"Wait here," said Caroline, "I'll be right back."

She raced down the hall to her bedroom and grabbed the largest file off the top of her desk. When she burst back into Klaus's room she swiftly handed him the photo from the inside cover of the folder.

"Is this the girl from your dreams," she asked.

"That's her," said Klaus as he looked at Caroline with both shock and confusion, "I don't understand. Why would this girl be in my dreams? And why do you have such an extensive dossier on her?"

Caroline held up the photograph while she answered him. "This is Elena Gilbert. I'm not sure how, but she's connected to all of this—Tyler and the hybrids and you and the war between our species."

Klaus's face was wrought with frustration and worry. Caroline was concerned that he might try to do something crazy that would put himself in danger. Knowing that he was over a thousand years old, she didn't doubt that he could take care of himself. But, in all honesty, she didn't know much else about him. Was he rash enough to pull a stunt like going rogue? Was he stupid enough to charge into Tyler's fortress of a mansion without backup?

She didn't care what Tyler said; there was no way in hell Klaus was walking into a trap—which she _knew_ Tyler was setting—and getting himself killed.

She glanced out the window at the soft violet sky.

"It'll be light in a couple of hours," she spoke quietly, "We can speak to my mother about all of this once she wakes."

Klaus nodded, although he didn't truly appear to be listening.

Caroline grabbed his face between her hands and gently forced him to look at her. "Promise me something…"

He stared back at her, his brow furrowed and his eyes full of torment.

"Promise me you won't go off and try to rescue your sister on your own."

His gaze grew dark and defiant. He opened his mouth to say something, but Caroline stopped him before he could.

"I know what you're about to say, but you don't know Tyler. He'll do whatever it takes to get what he wants. He lies and he cheats and he doesn't care who he hurts."

Klaus seemed unconvinced and so Caroline urged him again, "_Promise _me."

"Caroline," he said solemnly, "I won't make a promise to you that I might not be able to keep."

She stared back at him, frustrated by his stubbornness at first. But then she sighed, accepting his answer and the fact that she couldn't control him by any means. The least she could do though was help him.

Her hands fell away from his face as her eyes filled with a new sense of determination.

"Fine," she huffed as she turned to leave, "Follow me."

She led him down into the basements of the boarding house, to the underground shooting range. Four-foot thick concrete walls kept the room relatively sound proof, not that noise was really an issue since the Salvatores' nearest neighbor was 5 acres away.

The back wall closest to the entrance was covered—floor to ceiling—with all manner of firearms and ammunition. There were a few shooting stalls equipped with gear and targets set at varying ranges of distance.

Caroline went straight for the semi-automatic pistols and grabbed two off the wall, one for herself and one for Klaus. Then she grabbed the appropriate ammo and laid it all out on a table.

"Guns have changed quite a bit since 1900," said Caroline, "Pay attention."

She deftly dismantled one of the guns, meticulously explaining each piece to Klaus—its function and proper place in the gun. After going through everything, she made him do it on his own. It only took a couple of times before he had it down.

"Good," said Caroline, watching intently as Klaus reassembled the pistol with impressive speed, "Let's see how good your aim is."

They chose a stall where the target was set about halfway down the range. Klaus steadied himself and took aim.

The first shot took him by surprise. He wasn't expecting it to have so much kick-back. The bullet went wide, landing on the left shoulder of the human silhouette target.

His face contorted with frustration and he stared at the gun as though it was at fault. Caroline had to hold back her laughter at the sight of him. He was really rather adorable when he was irked.

She smiled and reached out to him, gently placing her hands on his arms. Her chest was pressed up against his back while she spoke smoothly into his ear,

"Loosen your grip on the gun a bit…not too much, but just so that you're not strangling it. That's perfect. Now, lock your elbows."

Klaus fired another round and it shot right through the target's heart. He shot again and hit the forehead, square between the eyes.

Caroline smiled. "You're a natural."

She hadn't moved yet, so Klaus was able to relish the feeling of her warm breath fanning out on his neck as she spoke. He could hear the smile in her voice and suddenly longed to see it. With a shrug, he turned to look at her over his shoulder.

Klaus would never admit that he'd purposely missed that first shot in hopes that she would feel the need to 'help him out.' Instead, he merely stared into her teal-blue eyes and said, "I had a good teacher."

Every nerve in Caroline's body was acutely aware of how close he was. Their lips were no more than a few inches apart and she couldn't help but appreciate the way his dark grey shirt clung to his perfectly sculpted figure. He'd rolled the sleeves up to the elbows, exposing forearms that could make a girl weak in the knees.

"Caroline I want—" Klaus began, but was cut off by the sound of someone entering the room.

The two broke apart immediately, looking away from each other in an attempt to diffuse the tension that had built up between them moments before.

"There you are," said Stefan, standing beneath the doorway with an expectant look on his face, "Come on. We're waiting on you guys to start the meeting."

He slapped the wall in an impatient manner on his way out, leaving Caroline and Klaus alone once more in the sound-proofed room.

She turned to him, her eyes searching his carefully schooled features for any indication of what was going on in his mind at that very moment.

"You were saying…?"

Klaus glanced up at her before swiftly averting his gaze and striding for the door, mumbling as he passed her, "It was nothing."

Caroline stared at his retreating figure, perplexed. The man was…intriguing, to say the least. But she shook the muddled thoughts of Klaus from her head, reminding herself that they were currently in the middle of a war and that she had no time for 'intriguing' young men—or old, depending on how she wanted to look at it. She had a job to do, and getting involved with Klaus would only hinder her.

* * *

"Trust me," said Caroline, "these are our friends. They'll be able to help us rescue Rebekah."

Klaus had been standing tensely, staring into the distance at the approaching train, but his chiseled features softened a bit at the sound of Caroline's voice. She had this strange ability to calm him.

Damon's voice came through their earpieces, "Remember to keep a lookout. We don't want any incidents today."

Caroline shared a discreet, yet pointed look with the elder Salvatore from opposite ends of the platform. There were five of them total, there to welcome the visiting coven from Boston and escort them to the boarding house. Caroline, Damon, Jeremy, and Matt had volunteered at that morning's meeting for the task. She'd dragged Klaus along, unwilling to leave him out of her sight until things with his sister were resolved.

The five of them were strategically spread out around the premises. All of them kept a wary eye open for signs of trouble.

The train rolled into the station, the horn blaring and the engine rumbling loudly to a screeching halt. The large, two-story steel compartments loomed above the crowd that had formed on the platform, waiting to greet the newly arrived passengers.

Not far from where Caroline and Klaus stood, an sharply dressed woman who appeared to be in her late-thirties stepped down from one of the cars, her plain black luggage in hand. She had a regal air about her, which was highlighted by her high cheekbones, beautifully bronzed skin, and calculating almond-shaped eyes. A young girl with a similar look to her followed close behind.

The woman caught Caroline's gaze and crossed the platform in long, purposeful strides. Caroline watched as more members of their party filed out of the train and gathered upon the platform.

"Caroline," the woman greeted her with a warm embrace, "It has been far too long since we last saw each other."

She gestured to the girl at her left, who nodded her head in acknowledgement. "You remember my daughter, Anna."

Caroline returned the woman's greeting with a smile. "Yes, of course. It's good to see you both again. Have you brought the whole coven with you?"

The woman glanced behind her just as an all-too-familiar face stepped off the train. Caroline's eyes flew open wide and she inhaled sharply. Klaus stood stock still next to her, having recognized the young woman as well.

Caroline turned towards Pearl, her eyes full of confusion. "What is Elena Gilbert doing with you?"

The older woman's eyes darkened and she spoke just loudly enough for Caroline's vampire hearing to pick up, "I will explain everything, but not here. It isn't safe."

Suddenly there was a blood-curdling scream swiftly followed by a secession of gunshots. The crowd erupted into chaos and Caroline went into Hunter mode, pulling Klaus behind her as she dove for the nearest cover.

She lost sight of Pearl and Anna and the rest of the Boston coven.

"Shit," she swore under her breath.

Caroline quickly pulled out her gun, slamming in the magazine and yanking the slide back to load a bullet into the chamber. Klaus quickly followed suit. He'd been a fast learner when it came to semi-automatic handguns.

She couldn't believe that the Pack was attacking in the middle of a crowded train station.

"Damon," Caroline yelled into the radio concealed within her wristwatch, "What's your status?"

"I'm alright," he replied raggedly, "I'm about forty yards to the right of you, behind the newspaper stands."

Caroline ducked her head around the large metal support column they'd taken cover behind and visually confirmed his location.

Damon's voice came through again, "I've got Pearl and Anna too. They're safe and unharmed."

Caroline was relieved that the head of the Boston coven was alive, but her fear for Elena remained a tight knot in her stomach. She scanned the frantic mass of people for the young brunette, but couldn't seem to find her anywhere.

More gunshots went off and Caroline and Klaus pressed up closer behind the pillar.

They looked at each other, sharing some sort of unspoken conversation. Then, with a curt nod Klaus crouched down and slipped out from behind their cover. He took out one of the werewolves who'd been standing atop the train with two well-aimed shots.

"Someone talk to me!" Caroline was trying her best to stay collected. "Where are the others?"

"I've got a visual on the rest of the coven," said Damon, "They're right in the thick of it. I'm going in."

"No," Caroline barked into the radio.

She wracked her brain for a better option—one that wouldn't get Damon killed. Matt and Jeremy were most likely still stationed at the front entrance of the building. With any luck, they would've gone unnoticed by the Pack members.

"Damon, stay where you are and we'll hold them off from our safe positions. Matt, Jeremy, you two come around from the sides while we're distracting them and get our people to the cars. You're objective is to see them safely to the boarding house, you hear? Don't wait for us."

"Copy that," said Matt.

Caroline glanced to her left and saw that Klaus was doing just fine, alternating between firing a quick volley of gunshots at their attackers and taking cover once more. If they got out of this alive, she was going to have to finish what they almost started in the shooting range.

* * *

Sage swore loudly as a vervain-coated bullet tore through her bicep. Of course, it wouldn't even leave a mark and the amount of vervain wasn't enough to incapacitate her since the bullet had been a through-and-through, but it still hurt like hell. Her head whipped around and she yelled back at the girl, who was standing behind her,

"Are you alright?"

The lanky brunette nodded firmly, her gaze full of outrage mingled with a fiery determination that had always impressed the older vampire woman. "I'm fine. Let's take these dogs down."

Lexi threw back her blonde mane and laughed, her fangs glinting in the fluorescent lights of the train station. "That's my girl!"

The two women stood in a tight formation with the other members of their coven, effectively creating a barrier around their human companion. The crowd around them was absolute madness. Everywhere people were running frantically for cover, some falling to the ground out of fear or in pain as they were carelessly caught in the crossfire.

But the mass of humans was diminishing as people raced for the exits and the werewolves were closing in. They were swiftly running out of options.

A couple of werewolves approached their circle, bounding across the platform with inhuman strength. They weren't as fast as the vampires though.

Ben and Trevor met the oncoming wolves before they could get too close. They dodged bullets with the graceful agility only vampires possessed and swiftly disarmed the werewolves. Then it was a battle of sheer physical power.

The rest of the coven kept the other wolves at bay as Ben and Trevor grappled with their enemies. From where they stood, Sage could see Pearl and Anna had found cover. It seemed as though their Mystic Falls allies were holding their own as well.

All of a sudden, a werewolf leapt from atop the train and dropped down right in front of her. He was lunging for her heart with a mean looking stake, but before she had time to react the man fell to his knees, a look of pure agony marring his features.

He continued to writhe on the floor beneath her as the silver bullets burned through his inner organs until she reached down and tore his heart from his chest, tossing it aside like a burnt out cigarette.

She looked up and locked eyes with her savior—Caroline Forbes. Beaming, Sage took hold of the younger vampire's proffered hand and hoisted herself off the ground.

"It's good to see you Care," said Sage.

Caroline nodded in return and the two swiftly turned their focus once more to the battle at hand.

* * *

Caroline watched Sage race off into the fray and she pitied whatever werewolf had the misfortune to cross the red-head's path. Where the hell were Matt and Jeremy though?

Just as that thought crossed her mind, out of the corner of her eye she saw Matt sneak up behind a werewolf and take him out by deftly breaking his neck and sending a silver dagger straight through his heart. His gaze found hers as he swiftly scanned his surroundings and Caroline smiled, relieved.

She and Klaus covered Matt while Damon made sure Jeremy made it through unscathed as well so that the Boston coven was able to escape with their lives.

Caroline felt a strange sensation swell within her as she took out wolves left and right alongside Klaus. Her mind slipped to the man at her side and for the briefest of moments she let her guard down.

But, as short as it was, that sliver of time was enough for a werewolf to get a shot on her.

Her eyes went wide and her jaw fell slack as the bullet embedded itself into her abdomen. At first, she felt only shock. Then the pain settled in and her free hand flew to her now open wound.

She felt another bullet enter her chest, dangerously close to her heart, and she fell to one knee. The vervain was quickly overwhelming her, despite her best efforts to fight off its effects.

She searched for Klaus with her clouded gaze and found that he was no longer by her side. He stood about several feet away, locked in a fistfight with three wolves.

Seeing that, a part of her gave up—resigned to believe that this was the end for the both of them. She only hoped that the others had made it out safely.

Another bullet took her in the lower ribcage just as she heard Klaus cry out.

Her attacker fell upon her then, a stake in one hand and a gun in the other. Caroline didn't think; she simply reacted to the threat before her. She swung her arm up to block the werewolf's attack and managed to knock the stake from her hand, but she was too weak to do much else.

She recognized the she-wolf—Tyler's right-hand-man, so to speak. She couldn't remember her name, but she knew the woman's face, with her wide-set hazel eyes and her pouty lips.

The werewolf then aimed her gun at Caroline and pulled the trigger, only to find that she was out of bullets. Angrily, she shoved the weapon back into its holster and rounded on Caroline with her fangs barred.

* * *

Klaus had never felt such rage before. It saturated his entire being, poisoning his thoughts and blurring his vision. All he could see was Caroline in pain, and all he could feel was a burning need to save her.

Seeing her on her knees, blood pooling beneath her, something awoke within him. He was struck by a sudden surge of strength.

"Caroline!"

Her name fell from his lips, an angry plea, as he struggled against the two werewolves that were restraining him. A third werewolf approached him menacingly, which earned a growl from him. But the man didn't get more than a couple feet before Klaus reared back and kicked him square in the chest.

The werewolf flew backwards several yards and before the other two even had time to react, Klaus tore his arms free and rounded his fury on them. When he was through, they were nothing but a heap of bloodied limbs.

He rushed over to where Caroline lay. She hung limply from the arms of a werewolf who had her teeth buried in Caroline's shoulder. There was something different about that she-wolf, although in the heat of the moment Klaus couldn't quite determine what it was.

All he could focus on was Caroline. Fear gripped him like a vice when he saw that she was unconscious, but it only served to steel his resolve and spur his anger.

As the werewolf pulled back, Caroline's blood dripping from her lips, she saw Klaus coming for her. Noticing her fallen comrades in the distance, she realized that she was no match for Klaus. With a growl, she dropped Caroline and called for the rest of her pack to retreat. Then she ran before Klaus could get his claws on her.

Klaus was on the ground cradling Caroline in his arms within an instant. He shook her, gently at first, then with more vigor after she didn't respond.

"Caroline," he pleaded, "Caroline, please wake up! You've got to wake up, love!"

He looked up and noticed that, thankfully, only the members of the two vampire covens were left. The humans had all cleared out and the werewolves had retreated after their apparent leader called them off.

Damon said something to Matt and Jeremy while the Boston coven took care of their wounded and fussed over the human girl that traveled with them. Then Matt ran over and knelt down beside Klaus.

"Is she OK," he asked, the concern apparent in his voice.

As if she'd heard her friend, Caroline began to stir. She groaned as her eyes fluttered open and came to land on Klaus's worried gaze.

"She's alive," said Klaus, "But she took a few bullets…and she's been bitten."

At that, Matt's eyes snapped over to Klaus and the look of fear in them said it all. He knew what that meant for Caroline.

"We've got to get her back to the boarding house," said Matt, "Our doctor will help her."

Klaus stared back at him with a mixture of anger and sorrow. What could their precious doctor possibly do? No one but him had ever survived a bite from both species. He knew deep down that there was no one who could help Caroline now. That knowledge settled into him like a rock in the pit of his stomach.

He refused to get his hopes up, but he would let the doctor try.

Without a moment to waste he gathered her up into his arms and ran to the car. Damon was waiting for them, already in the driver's seat with the engine on. The other van was nowhere to be seen. Jeremy must have taken off with the Boston coven in tow.

Matt yanked open the door and Klaus carefully set Caroline into a seat before climbing in over her. Matt hopped into the passenger seat and Damon sped off, the tires screeching as they pulled away from the train station.

Damon glanced back and saw Caroline, barely conscious and bleeding all over the upholstery. When he spoke his voice was loud and full of rage,

"What the hell happened?"

Matt answered him curtly, "She was shot a few times and bitten by one of the Pack."

Damon swore under his breath. After that he floored it, running lights and keeping his eyes firmly on the road ahead.

Matt whipped out his cell phone and swiftly dialed a number.

"Meredith," he sounded relieved, "Caroline's been hurt. We need you at the boarding house now."

Klaus overheard the woman on the other end of the line respond saying she was on her way. Then Matt thanked her and hung up.

* * *

Hayley stood watching Tyler pace back and forth, his fury practically radiating off of him in waves. He knocked back the rest of his scotch then chucked the glass into the fireplace, the flames flaring dramatically as they swallowed up the remnants of liquor.

As soon as she'd returned to the mansion empty-handed Tyler had ordered her into his study with thinly veiled rage.

Looking at the scene in front of her, she was reminded of why she always did everything in her power to avoid disappointing the man. He did not take failure well.

"You're a hybrid now Hayley. I expected more from you."

"Tyler, I'm sorry. I _tried_," Hayley replied through gritted teeth, "We all did, but they had a hybrid of their own—a damn strong one, I might add."

He rounded on her, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. "Do you have any idea what this means?"

Hayley stood silent, trying her best to ignore the feeling of embarrassment and shame that washed over her.

"The covens now have their own hybrid and a direct human descendent of the Originals—a pure source of Mikaelson blood," Tyler explained slowly, "If they discover what we did, that Katherine's blood combined with a bite from a hybrid will turn any normal vampire or werewolf into a hybrid as well, they could put a stop to our entire plan! You had the element of surprise! _How_ did you let this happen?"

Hayley sat down with a huff. She rested her elbows on her knees and let her head fall into her hands.

"I already told you that I'm sorry," she ground out slowly. "What more can I do?"

Tyler glared at her, his mouth set in a hard, thin line. "Fix it."

* * *

By the time they got to the boarding house Caroline had fallen unconscious again. Damon had barely stopped the car before Klaus was out the door and bursting into the boarding house with Caroline held tightly to his chest.

"Where's the doctor," he bellowed.

Liz rushed to their side, her eyes and hands flitting helplessly over her unconscious daughter.

"What happened," she asked frantically.

Klaus barely spared her a glance. "She was bitten. Get me that doctor of yours!"

Liz's hands went to cover her mouth and she inhaled shakily.

A woman with wavy, dark hair holding a medical supply bag, who Klaus assumed was the doctor named Meredith, hurried into the room.

"I'm here. Set her down on the sofa over there," she instructed Klaus.

He did as she told, but remained by Caroline's side while the doctor checked Caroline over.

Meredith cut off Caroline's shirt and quickly began extracting the bullets from her body, but the wounds wouldn't heal. So Klaus bit into his wrist and offered up his blood. Gingerly, he tilted Caroline's head up in his hand and held his bleeding wrist to her lips.

"Drink Caroline," he urged softly, "Come on love, drink up."

He watched intently as his blood trickled slowly into her mouth. Gradually, her bullet wounds began to close up, but the werewolf bite remained.

Klaus stared down at her injured shoulder, practically willing it to heal itself.

Meredith pulled a bottle of a yellowish liquid from her bag and began pouring it onto a medical swab.

"I can put some wolfsbane on it. That might counteract the venom enough to buy us some time…" She trailed off, not wanting to vocalize the inevitable fate that Caroline faced and in doing so make it all the more real.

She gently dabbed the liquefied wolfsbane onto Caroline's bite, wincing when her patient cried out in pain.

It was torture for Klaus to watch. And judging from the look on Liz's face the feeling was fairly mutual. Liz was on her knees, leaning over the armrest of the sofa as she stroked her daughter's hair. Her eyes only left her daughter long enough to glance curiously at Klaus every now and then. She seemed confused as to why he was so concerned for Caroline.

If he was honest with himself, Klaus wasn't even entirely sure why he felt so distraught.

Yes, the girl had saved his life a couple of times, risking her own in the process. But he'd only known her for such a short amount of time—the blink of an eye really, for a vampire.

And yet, she had gotten under his skin with her fiery personality, her refusal to succumb to fear, and her willingness to trust him beyond reason.

No one had ever treated him the way she had. From the very beginning she had seemed to see something in him that he wasn't even aware existed. And now the thought of living without her was…well, he'd rather not think about that at all.

Suddenly several members of the Boston coven stormed into the room. Leading them was the brunette from his dreams, Elena, her face set with determination.

"I think I can help," she exclaimed somewhat breathlessly, casting her gaze about the room of strangers.

Pearl looked stern and displeased behind her, though she kept silent.

Liz stood up and turned to the girl in sudden defiance. "_Help_? Is that what you would call it?"

Elena then shook her head and replied, "I'm the only hope your daughter has at this point." Her gaze grew somber and she straightened in an almost defensive manner. "You can let me save her…or you can watch her die."

Liz stared her down and though she was the very picture of unshakable pride Klaus could sense the hesitation growing in her.

"On one condition," Elena added, causing Liz's gaze to darken with anger and suspicion.

"What?"

"I will save your daughter's life," Elena replied smoothly, "If you help me save my sister."

Damon spoke up then, "Liz, this is _Caroline_. If there's a way to save her, take it and damn the consequences."

"You don't know what you speak of, boy," said Pearl, her voice venomous.

He turned and stared back at her, his eyes widened with surprise. "Did you just call me _boy_?" He strode to where she stood until he was looming above her small frame, mere inches away. "I might not be as old as you, but I've been around a while, Lucy Liu. Don't underestimate me."

Klaus watched this all happen in tacit confusion. There was so much about these new age vampires that he didn't understand, their secret laws and close-knit covens.

Even before Mikael had desiccated him, he'd long been a recluse. After he'd heard wind of Mikael's mission, he'd gone underground, so to speak. He lived outside normal human society and made sure never to leave a trace wherever he traveled.

It had been more than a mere hundred years since he'd last been an active member of the vampire community.

He began to realize that there was much more to this war than Caroline had told him—perhaps more than Caroline had known about herself.

Liz looked down at her daughter—her beautiful face contorted in pain, covered in blood and sweat. She made up her mind.

"Do it," she said firmly.

Elena nodded and stepped forward, her arm held out. "Doc, go on and take my blood."

Without a moment to waste, Meredith grabbed a syringe and extracted Elena's blood. Then she carefully inserted the needle into Caroline's arm and released its contents into her vein.

The entire room waited with bated breath as Caroline's chest rose and fell in a steady, but labored rhythm.

After what seemed like hours, the wound on Caroline's shoulder began to heal over. Klaus quietly exhaled the breath he'd unknowingly been holding once he saw the skin knit itself back together and the color return to her face.

Caroline eased open her eyes, blinking away the lingering haze of unconsciousness. She turned her head and smiled with relief upon seeing Klaus, kneeling at her side.

"Hi," she whispered; her voice was hoarse from disuse and fatigue. "You're alive…"

"Yes," Klaus smiled, "And so are you, thanks to our new friend here."

Caroline then turned her gaze toward Elena, who was currently standing over her holding a cotton swap to the crook of her arm and looking mighty pleased with herself.

"Um," Caroline began with her brow knit in confusion, "Does someone want to explain what's going on? How much did I miss while I was busy dying?"

* * *

**Whew! That chapter was kind of intense, right? So...what's going to happen to Caroline now that she's had "Elena's" blood? Will her and Klaus give into their feelings for each other? How will things change now that the Boston coven is in town? All will be revealed in the next chapter! But first, review please! Reviews are to me as blood is to vampires xx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Screw the frills. On to chapter 3...**

* * *

Caroline stared at her blurry reflection in the bathroom mirror. Her wet hair hung limply about her bare shoulders, her hands clutched at the towel wrapped tightly around her naked form. Steam had coated the mirror, so she leaned forward and swiped some away.

She looked the same as she always had. The differences were subtle.

The most noticeable change was her heightened sense of smell. Vampires had inhuman strength, eyesight, and hearing, but smell was traditionally something only wolves excelled in.

Other than that, everything just seemed to be a little bit _more_. She was more aware of her surroundings, more attune to her body, more _hungry_.

Her hand gently trailed over the smooth skin of her shoulder where the werewolf—correction, hybrid—had bitten her. She thought back to the strange occurrences of the previous day, a day that had forever changed her life.

When Katherine had saved her life Caroline hadn't known that she was a descendant of Klaus's bloodline—hell, she hadn't even known Katherine was actually Katherine and not Elena, her twin sister.

After coming to know that, the lies had started to unfold, or rather fall apart.

Turned out her mother had kept a lot of things secret from Caroline over the years.

For starters, she'd known all along that Elena had a twin sister and that the two of them were descendants of the Mikaelson family. She'd known that the girls had been separated at birth, each placed under the protection of a vampire coven, and that they'd later traded identities as a last ditch effort to keep the girls safe once Elena's guardians had been killed.

Liz had said that they'd hoped switching the girls' names would prevent anyone from discovering that there were two of them. After all, if anyone ever got as far as finding out that Katherine Pierce from Chicago was actually Elena Gilbert from Mystic Falls it was unlikely that he would think her alias was anything other than that. Why would someone go searching for a fake identity?

Of course, the coven leaders hadn't anticipated that the girls would find each other and keep their knowledge of the truth a secret.

Katherine had explained it all over a stiff drink.

She was the one who had awoken Klaus from his tomb in Chicago, with the help of her coven-sister, Anna. After discovering that she had a twin sister, Katherine had decided to delve deeper into her past to discover what else she might not have been aware of. She found out who her real ancestors were and that they were still technically alive. When Elena contacted her sister, telling her that she'd been discovered by the werewolves and was being held hostage Katherine had sought out Klaus, unbeknownst to Pearl, in an attempt to rescue Elena. She'd hoped that Klaus—a thousand-year-old vampire—would be strong enough and willing to help.

However, the Pack had caught onto her and she had to leave before the awakening process was complete. They trailed her all the way to Pennsylvania when suddenly they stopped. Katherine never found out what happened to them, they simply disappeared. She figured they'd given up or been called off by their pack leader.

Once she'd returned home, she confessed everything to Pearl, who had decided then that it was time to pay their good friends in Mystic Falls a visit.

Now Katherine was insisting that the covens send an extraction team to rescue Elena and the two covens were at odds over how to go about doing it.

But Caroline had bigger things to worry about at the moment.

Just then, a knock on the door came, pulling Caroline from her dark thoughts.

She caught a whiff of Klaus's scent.

"Come in," she called as she came out of the bathroom.

Klaus closed the door and stopped in his tracks once he turned around and saw Caroline standing there, still wrapped in nothing but a soft, white bath towel. He cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude," he said quickly, "I can come back when you're more decent."

One corner of Caroline's mouth slid up into a little smirk. "Come on now Klaus, I'd have thought a vampire as old as you wouldn't be so easily fazed by silly things like a little nudity."

His eyes narrowed at her when he said, "I'm not bothered by your state of undress. I was merely trying to be a gentleman."

"Alright then," Caroline swiftly walked off, attempting to hide her sudden blush, "Turn around while I put some clothes on."

She slipped on some underwear and as she was clasping on her bra, she spoke softly over her shoulder,

"Thank you…"

"For what," Klaus asked, keeping his head trained at her door.

"For staying with me last night…when I turned."

She dug through her dresser for a pair of leggings and a long-sleeved shirt, trying desperately to ignore the feeling of embarrassment that threatened to undo her.

"You don't have to thank me for that."

Caroline scoffed, still avoiding eye contact as she sat down on the edge of her bed and yanked on a pair of boots to complete her outfit.

"Yes I do," she said, sounding almost frustrated, "You were the only one who stayed. Even my mom left as soon as it started…"

Klaus finally turned around and strode over to sit next to her on the bed.

"Turning is a frightening process, as we both know," he began cautiously, "Not everyone can be as brave as you Caroline. Some people don't handle pain very well."

Her brow was furrowed as she stared back at him incredulously. "But _I_ was the one in pain! And I needed her…"

"There are many kinds of pain, love," Klaus said softly, his eyes wandering off to some far off place or long forgotten memory, "Perhaps the pain of seeing a loved one in agony was too much for her to bare."

Caroline let the reason in his words sink in. He was right, and there was no point in sitting around feeling sorry for herself.

"You know," she said, smiling lightly, "I really hate it when you're right."

Klaus laughed at that and turned to stare at her, his eyebrows raised and his expression playful.

He closed the distance between them and offered a hand out to her. "Come on, I want to show you something."

As they made their way through the house, Caroline did her best to ignore the way people skirted away from her or shot her wary glances. She reminded herself that most of them didn't know what it truly meant to be a hybrid. All they knew was that she was now part werewolf—a creature they had been conditioned all their lives to fight and despise. Of course she wasn't going to be voted Homecoming Queen anytime soon.

Klaus brought her to the door that led to the backyard. The shutters within the room were drawn shut, nothing but the soft glow of the overhead lamps illuminated the space. He was about to open the door when Caroline's hand shot out and halted his movement.

"What are you doing," she asked, immediately on edge, "The sun won't set for another half hour, at least. If we go out there we could get burned."

Klaus merely smiled cryptically at her and said, "Trust me."

After everything they'd been through in mere days, she couldn't refuse him. She knew now without a shadow of a doubt that he would never put her life in danger.

So she took his hand and followed him through the doorway, into the warm glow of the waning evening.

Her steps were tentative at first; every nerve in her body screaming at her to turn tail and run back inside where it was safe and sheltered from the dangerous sun. But as she came further into the light she realized that she was completely and utterly fine. She felt nothing—only a slow-building sense of astonishment and wonder as it finally became clear that becoming a hybrid _had_ changed her in one very distinct way.

She could now walk in the sun.

Klaus watched in tacit appreciation as a delighted smile spread across her face. He let her hand fall from his grasp, content to simply witness her bask in the glory of the sunlight for the first time in decades. To him, she had never seemed more beautiful than in that moment.

With that blissful smile still etched on her face, she turned back and briefly locked eyes with him before suddenly taking off into the woods.

She heard Klaus call out her name, but she didn't stop. The crisp autumn air felt good; it made her skin tingle and her lungs burn as she sped faster and faster. As she wove through the trees at breakneck speed, she was no longer aware of whether the tears streaming out from her eyes were born of emotional euphoria or the physical side-effect of running so swiftly.

She heard a branch snap behind her and then she was abruptly slammed against the nearest tree trunk. Klaus glared down at her, windblown and unreadable. His amber eyes glinted in the moonlight, making him seem almost demonic. But rather than frightening her, his glowing irises sent a thrill rushing through her body.

Caroline ran a hand through his tousled locks and he relaxed at the gesture. Then before he knew it she was out of his grasp, off and running again deeper into the forest.

His subsequent growl brought a smile to her face and spurred her to run yet faster.

She was on cloud nine, ecstatic over the fact that she was no longer confined to the darkness of nightfall as well as the fact that, for the first time in her life, an incredible man was chasing after her. All her life, every man she'd ever cared about ended up leaving, choosing something or someone else over her.

First, it had been her father, who left her and her mother for another man after he'd realized he didn't love them anymore. Damon had left her for a whole slew of other women, deciding that exclusivity wasn't really his style. And Tyler…well, he'd left because he turned out to be just as evil as everyone said he was. She still hadn't told anyone about her little tryst with the enemy…

If curses were real, she'd been certain that that was hers—to forever be left alone, unwanted.

But when Klaus captured her in his arms once more, pinning her to the ground with the weight of his body, suddenly she didn't feel so unwanted. If just for a moment, she felt _alive_.

Without thinking, she shoved him up off of her. His back rammed into a tree as her lips collided with his. And her inner romantic reveled in the fact that his arms instantly circled her waist, closing the distance between their bodies as he deepened the kiss.

He quickly flipped them around so that Caroline was the one with her back against the tree and then he grabbed hold of her legs, easily lifting her up as though she weighed no more than a feather.

She instinctively wrapped her legs around his torso, groaning at the feeling of being pressed up against him in the most intimate of places.

He ground his hips into her and she relished the glorious friction it caused.

They continued to ravish each other's mouths as they raced back to the house with vampire speed, Klaus still holding her to his body, her legs wrapped tightly around him. It was slow going though, since they'd only get about several yards before Klaus stopped against a tree and took several more minutes to simply ply Caroline with kisses and grind into her some more.

He never let go of her the entire way.

When they finally made it back to the boarding house, the sun had nearly set. Klaus reluctantly set Caroline down on her feet. She smiled up at him as she swiped leaves off his shoulders and pulled twigs from his hair.

"I think we should take this upstairs," said Klaus as he gently brushed some dirt from Caroline's cheek.

She quickly rid herself of any forest debris and smoothed down her hair, trying to make herself look more presentable.

"I agree," she whispered.

Klaus gave her a serious look, though the voice behind it was playful as he spoke, "Just act normal."

Caroline bit down on her bottom lip to keep from laughing and Klaus groaned. He cupped her face in his hands and planted another searing kiss on her already swollen lips. But he broke away swiftly and squared his shoulders.

"OK, let's go."

Caroline nodded curtly and followed him into the house. They kept a brisk pace through the hallway and had almost made it to the staircase without any incident when suddenly Matt rounded the corner and nearly ran right into Klaus.

"Sorry, mate," Klaus mumbled as he swerved out of the way and continued on toward the stairs.

He faltered, though, when he heard Matt address Caroline.

"Hey," he said hesitantly, "How are you feeling?"

Caroline put on her best fake smile and shot Klaus a glance, silently urging him to go on and not draw attention to himself.

"Oh, I feel great!"

Matt stared at her skeptically for a moment. Perhaps she'd been a little too chipper in her response.

"Although, I am a bit worn out from yesterday," she added, "I was just about to go take a nap."

Matt still seemed unconvinced, but he simply nodded. "Yeah, you should get some rest."

Caroline smiled charmingly at him. "Alright, I'll see you later then."

"Uh-huh," said Matt, walking off toward the kitchen.

He waved nonchalantly over his shoulder before disappearing through a doorway and Caroline took her opportunity to run up the stairs to her bedroom.

The moment the door was locked Klaus was on her, crushing his lips to hers and running his hands down her back.

When they broke apart he muttered breathily into her ear, "I've nothing against the boy, but his timing really is rubbish."

Caroline laughed between kisses as Klaus picked her up and carried her over to the bed.

He set her down at the foot of the bed and the two of them stood there for a moment, just breathing each other in. Caroline's hands rested upon his chest and his arms held her waist in a relaxed embrace.

Slowly, her hands slid down his abdomen and she took a step away from him, easing out of his hold. Her fingers went to the hem of her shirt and she locked eyes with him as she gently pulled the article of clothing over her head. Her hair tumbled down around her shoulders, a silken cascade of sunshine-colored locks, as her shirt fell to the floor.

She gave Klaus a small, almost coquettish smile, as though she were inviting him to follow suit. He returned her gesture with a devilish smirk and swiftly tugged his shirt off by the collar.

Caroline took another step back and Klaus did the same, catching on to the little game she was playing.

Their socks and shoes were next to go.

Another step back.

Then their pants.

They stood a few paces apart, now facing each other on either side of the bed in nothing but their underwear.

Caroline climbed onto the bed and Klaus met her in the middle. They kneeled there, slowly exploring each other with feather-light fingertips and heated breath, never really touching until Klaus placed a finger beneath Caroline's chin and gently tilted her head up toward his.

Her breath hitched when his lips finally came to land on hers, igniting something deep within her. Her mouth tingled deliciously and she sighed when the chills traveled down her neck to her shoulders, coursing through her veins until they reached her fingertips and toes. Her body _ached_ with the pleasure of his touch.

She wondered vaguely why she'd never felt this sensation with anyone else before, but dismissed that trivial thought as soon as Klaus's mouth descended on her neck.

Gently, she felt herself being lowered onto the mattress. Her eyes fell closed as she let Klaus lavish her with kisses, from her neck to her breasts.

Suddenly the tingling sensation disappeared, as did Klaus's lips. Caroline opened her eyes to find him looking down at her apprehensively.

"Are you sure about this," he asked quietly.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Just shut up and kiss me."

Klaus smiled and once more melted into her arms. He didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

Elena stared out the window of her mid-town high rise, wondering what her life might have been like had her parents not died in that car accident all those years ago. Would she have stayed in Mystic Falls and grown up to be a normal teenage girl who worried about things like prom dresses and high school crushes, instead of blood-thirsty werewolves and ancient supernatural wars?

She was broken from her reverie by the feeling of her cell phone buzzing in her pocket. There were only two people who knew the number to that phone, and one of them was sitting at her kitchen table reading the _Chicago Tribune_.

She jumped up from the window seat and slipped into the bathroom. She made sure to turn all the faucets and the fan on before answering the phone.

"Katherine?"

"Yeah, it's me," said her sister, "How are things in Chicago?"

"Fine," Elena replied stiffly, glancing over to her uncle who had set his paper down and was now staring pointedly at her, "Everything's been quiet here. Tyler's wolves are still standing guard, but they haven't given us any trouble since the last time they took some of my blood."

Katherine sounded relieved. "Good, that's good. Hang in there, sis. I'm sending help soon."

Elena covered her mouth and spoke softer into the receiver, "What do you mean?"

"I've made a deal with the Mystic Falls vampire coven. They're going to send a rescue team for you."

"I don't want anyone risking their lives for me," Elena hissed.

"Relax," said Katherine, "Everyone on the team volunteered themselves. They all know the risk, and they're still willing go."

Elena was hesitant about the idea but in the end she figured she didn't have much of a choice.

"Well then they should know that there are two armed guards within the apartment at all times and another two outside ordered to keep out of sight."

"OK, I'll relay that."

"And Kat?"

"Yeah?"

"You stay safe too," Elena's voice had taken on a seriousness that made her sister's heart clench, "I don't want to get rescued and come all the way back to Mystic Falls only to find out that you went and got yourself kidnapped by Tyler or something."

Katherine laughed lightly. "You don't have to worry about me. I'll be in touch."

The girls said their goodbyes and hung up. Then Elena went to the kitchen table to join her uncle for dinner, ignoring the stranger holding an assault rifle in her living room.

* * *

When Caroline awoke it was close to midnight. Smiling as she recalled the memory of the night's earlier activities, she rolled over intending to engage in more activities of a similar nature only to find that she was alone.

Klaus was gone.

Caroline shot up in bed and scanned the bedroom. A quick listen told her that he was not in the bathroom, nor anywhere in earshot.

She hurriedly threw some clothes on and raced down the stairs. She ran into Damon at the bottom.

"There you are Sleeping Beauty," he said snarkily, "Thought you were never going to leave that bedroom, judging from the sounds that were coming out of there."

Caroline completely ignored his comment. "Have you seen Klaus?"

"Uh-oh, trouble in paradise already?"

She sighed exasperatedly. Damon wasn't going to be of any help.

"Forget it," she said, taking off for the garages.

"He left a while ago," Damon called after her.

"Left?" Caroline whipped back around, fighting down the urge to grab him by the arms and shake him. "Did he mention where he was going?"

Damon shrugged, suddenly back to being his normal irreverently nonchalant self. "He didn't say anything to me. Maybe he was—"

Caroline didn't wait for him to finish. She already had a fairly good idea of where he was headed and the thought scared her to the core.

* * *

Klaus walked up to the rundown building that loomed before him with long, purposeful strides. He'd managed to recruit two members of the Boston coven, Ben and Harper, for his impromptu rescue operation. The two of them were instructed to keep watch from a distance until Klaus was inside the farmhouse. Then their job was to find a way to sneak in and take out the guards while Klaus created a distraction. As long as it didn't take them too long to dispatch the guards, everything would go smoothly.

He only hoped that Caroline wouldn't do something stupid like chasing after him and getting herself caught in the middle of their dangerous little ultimatum.

Thinking about Caroline sent a stab of remorse through his heart. The evening they'd spent making love to one another had been one of the greatest moments of his life. The memory of it served as a reminder of why he had to rescue his sister and leave Mystic Falls before he became any more attached.

Caroline deserved better than him. Danger followed him like a shadow. He lived his life on the run, never settling in to one place for too long and always looking over his shoulder. And given the fact that Mikael's whereabouts were unknown, he was even more wary of staying in Mystic Falls and trying to build a home. He had every intention of returning to his old ways—living life on the fringes of society, constantly on the move. That was no life for someone like Caroline.

He needed to leave so that Caroline could have some semblance of a normal life, so that she was safe.

As soon as he set foot on the first dilapidated step of the ramshackle farm house, the front door swung open and two werewolves stepped out to greet him. Though he supposed "greet" was probably not the right term.

They offered no formal gesture of acknowledgement and he returned the favor with equal reserve. He merely halted before them and spread his arms, opening the flaps of his jacket to reveal that he had come unarmed.

Satisfied, the two werewolves then turned back around and Klaus silently followed them into the threshold.

They led him to the basement, where Tyler stood waiting with Rebekah gagged and tied to a chair by his side.

It was a physical feat of near impossibility simply to keep his fists clenched firmly at his sides. His rage radiated off of him in waves as he glared menacingly at Tyler's smug face.

"Klaus," Tyler spread his arms in a magnanimous gesture, "So glad you could make it," he glanced at his watch mockingly, "Though, you did cut it pretty close."

"Screw the pleasantries," said Klaus, "Are we making this trade or not? Me and my promise of cooperation in exchange for my sister."

Tyler straightened a bit, puffing his chest out in a dominant manner. "A man who cuts to the point…I think we'll get along just fine."

With a flick of his fingers, Tyler signaled two of his men to release Rebekah of her bonds. But before she could go to Klaus, Tyler grabbed hold of her arms, pulling her roughly back against him.

She cringed as he leaned in and pressed his nose to the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply.

"It's too bad we didn't get to have more fun," said Tyler before he turned his eyes back toward Klaus, "How do I know I can trust your word?"

Klaus felt like his very blood was on fire, the anger within him was so intense. But he snuffed the fury out and responded as coldly as possible,

"I'm an Original. My word is worth more than your entire existence."

Tyler's eyes narrowed at his words. "You know, I _want_ to believe you, I really do. But the fact that you failed to come alone, like we agreed, makes me question if your word is really all that trustworthy."

Klaus stiffened at his words, his blood instantly running cold with fear. The feeling unsettled him, as it was not an emotion he was accustomed to.

He watched with carefully schooled features as Harper and Ben were dragged into the room. Both were bloodied; obviously they'd put up quite a fight before succumbing to their captors. And both looked positively furious. They grunted in pain as they were shoved down onto their knees on either side of Rebekah.

Klaus quickly began running through the possible scenarios in which he could somehow manage to get them all out safe. None immediately came to mind.

The whole situation looked pretty inescapable.

Tyler seemed all too pleased with this turn of events. He paced back and forth in front of the line of captives, his hands clasped behind his back and a smug grin set firmly on his face.

The next sequence of events happened so quickly, if the occupants of the room hadn't been supernatural none of them would likely have responded swiftly enough.

Out of the corner of his eye, Klaus saw the glint of metal. Then suddenly Ben and Harper were no longer restrained. One leapt forward, lunging for Klaus, while the other spun around and sliced the head off the werewolf who had been standing behind him quick as a flash.

Klaus reacted instinctively, dodging the swing of the blade Harper had had hidden within his sleeve. He was about to dispatch the traitorous vampire when he caught sight of Ben about to behead his sister.

A guttural, animalistic roar ripped through his throat as he sped to Rebekah's side and tore Ben's head clean off his shoulders. Blood splattered across the both of them as the body toppled to the floor, spouting crimson fluid from it's now tattered neck.

Tyler and his men descended on Harper, dismembering him with unsettling speed. And in the moment it took them to do so, Klaus snatched up Ben's knife and freed his sister.

"_Run_," he whispered hoarsely into her ear.

She was gone before they turned back around.

* * *

Rebekah stumbled through the underbrush in the dark night, her vision blurred by tears and blood and fear. She ran and she ran until she could no longer hear the sounds of the wolves behind her, glancing back over her shoulder every few strides to make sure they weren't closing in on her.

Suddenly, when she whipped her head back around she found herself nearly face to face with a young blonde woman.

Rebekah abruptly came to a halt. The two women stood there, facing each other a few feet apart, their chests eerily still despite the exertion of running.

The Original's eyes shifted behind the stranger before her, looking for an escape route. She quickly darted to the side and took off running again.

But the other blonde was right next to her, keeping pace and reaching out for her.

"Rebekah, wait!"

At the sound of her name the Original turned to look back at her pursuer with wide eyes.

"How do you know my name," She asked as she slowed to a wary stop once more.

"I'm a friend of your brother's. My name's Caroline."

Rebekah still kept her distance, unsure of whether or not she could truly believe what "Caroline" was telling her. After all, she'd just met the girl running through the woods in the middle of the night. For all she knew, this girl could've been another werewolf.

But a quick assessment told her otherwise. No, the girl was definitely vampire…or at least part.

Caroline changed tactics, trying to win her trust. "When you spoke to your brother on the phone the other night I was with him."

Rebekah's resolve faltered. Her stance became a little less tense and Caroline picked up on it right away.

"I've been trying to help him rescue you," she continued, "But things got…complicated."

At Caroline's words, Rebekah's eyes watered. She remembered that her brother had basically sacrificed himself for her just moments ago and suddenly she was struck by an overwhelming sense of sorrow and guilt.

"Nik, he—" She choked on her words.

Caroline grabbed ahold of her shoulders, shaking her roughly. "What happened, Rebekah? Where's Klaus? Is he alright?"

The shorter blonde shook her head stiffly. "He cut me loose while they were distracted and told me to run. So I did and I thought he would follow, but—"

"Shit," Caroline swore angrily as she glanced back in the direction of the Bennett farmhouse, "That stupid jackass is always trying to get himself killed."

She turned back to Rebekah, her eyes bright and full of determination. "We've got to go back and get him."

"Are you mad?" Rebekah tugged her shoulders free, glaring at Caroline incredulously. "The house is a den of werewolves and hybrids. I should know, I helped turn half the lot myself."

Caroline stared back at the other blonde in shock, which quickly regressed into frustration. "Seriously? He's your _brother_ and you're just going to leave him to the wolves?"

Rebekah was genuinely hurt by Caroline's words, and she let it show. "I'm not heartless. Leaving my brother behind isn't something I _want_ to do, but we don't exactly have a choice now do we? We're outnumbered and I refuse to be subjugated to such torture again!"

Caroline mulled over her words for a few seconds before nodding resignedly. "You're right."

"Nik's an Original. He can't be killed. He'll be alright," Rebekah spoke as though she was reassuring herself.

"Come on," Caroline said quietly, "We've got to get back to my coven. They'll know what to do."

A howl rang out through the night and Caroline gripped Rebekah's hand like a lifeline as the two of them raced through the trees, back to where she had stowed the car. Her feet instinctively propelled her forward though her thoughts strayed towards Klaus and the werewolf-infested farmhouse he was still trapped in.

She hated herself for leaving him behind, but Rebekah was right; they didn't have a choice.

* * *

Klaus prayed to whatever higher power may or may not have been in existence that his sister had made it out safe. He knew that Caroline was most likely roaming about in search of him. She would find Rebekah and then…

He mentally swore. Of course, Caroline would go running right back to her precious little coven—the same coven that had just backstabbed him, leaving him in his current less than ideal predicament.

There were so many variables he was unsure of. He didn't know if their leaders had plotted unbeknownst to the rest of the coven members, or if Ben and Harper had acted alone, or if the covens were all in on the scam. Hell, he didn't even know if Caroline had known about it the whole time either.

That thought sent a pang through his chest, an ache that he resented with every fiber of his being.

How had it come to this?

He never meant to fall for her. He never meant to become so attached. And yet, now here he was pining over a connection that may or may not have even been real.

But it _had _been real, at least for him. That was the root of the problem. He had somehow managed to let himself develop feelings for a woman who he wasn't sure felt the same way.

He desperately hoped that she hadn't indeed known about this betrayal…or there would be hell to pay.

Tyler's angry voice broke through his inner ramblings,

"You're lucky I need you, or else I'd shove a stake through you right here and now."

Klaus scoffed. "I'm an Original, remember? You might as well use a toothpick."

A slow, smug grin spread across Tyler's face.

"Actually, I was thinking I'd use this," he said as he pulled something out from behind his back. "It seems like you left something behind in Fairmont."

Klaus stared at the silver stake in Tyler's hand with narrowed eyes. How could he have been so careless?

He'd made a point to grab the stake when he ran from his apartment, but he must have dropped it somewhere between getting vervained by Tyler and picked up by Caroline.

"The best part is that I still have your sister's stake too," said Tyler, "And that one's hidden somewhere you'll never find it. So let's skip the pretenses and just jump to the part where you do whatever I tell you to do."

* * *

"I don't understand," said Rebekah, "Where are we going?"

Caroline's response was clipped as she focused on navigating unpaved wooded roads. "Back to my home. My coven members will help us."

"Are you certain they can be trusted?"

For a brief moment Caroline's gaze snapped over to the blonde occupying her passenger seat. "Is having trust issues a family trait or something?"

"Well it's not without good reason," Rebekah bit back hotly, "Someone's _always_ trying to kill us. For a second I thought those two vampires back there were about to succeed."

Caroline's brow furrowed deeply. "What are you talking about?"

Rebekah glanced over at Caroline, confused and a bit apprehensive. "Tyler's men caught two vampires who I _thought_ were trying to help Niklaus rescue me. But then they up and tried to kill us. Got themselves killed in the process instead."

Caroline's brain was frantically putting all the pieces together. Just as she was about to respond to Rebekah's worrisome account, her phone beeped loudly. The sudden shrill noise startled both girls. They shared a look of relief when they realized it was just the phone before Caroline snatched the device from the center console.

"It's a message," she mused aloud, "From Stefan…"

"Who's Stefan?"

"A friend…"

Caroline stared down at the brightly lit screen clutched in her hand. The words glaring back at her set off a number of emotions, the most prevalent of them being panic.

**Stefan Salvatore: Don't come back to the boarding house. Not safe. Will contact you when possible.**

"Well shit," said Caroline.

* * *

**This chapter took me a while to write, and I'm still not 100% happy with it... What do you think? From here on out the story is going to get a tad bit more confusing. More storylines are going to converge while some will break off, there's going to be a lot of things going on. Plus, Klaus and Caroline are now separated at this point. So unfortunately, there won't be as much action going on between those two. BUT BEAR WITH ME. I will bring them together again eventually and all will once more be right in the world.**

**xx**

**AmasVeritas**


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